The American Oystercatcher

Last Wednesday, I went out on our Center for the Inland Bays pontoon boat with Eric, CIB's habitat coordinator, and Matt, an extremely knowledgeable bird expert from DNREC's Fish and Wildlife Department, When I first heard that I would be bird watching, I was a little worried because I had never been before and I heard it could get a little slow at times.

To my surprise, I had a really great tiem out on the boat. I learned a lot more about the Inland Bays, along with the species that inhabit them. That day, out particular interest was the American Oystercatcher, a funny looking bird, that can be immediately spotted with its bright orange beak. We were on the look out for babies (to see if the partners successfully hatched their eggs) and once we found one, at least six more babies were discovered on the island. They were cute little fluff balls running rapidly around their parents, so once you knew what you were looking for, they were easy to find.

Matt informed me that although the Oystercatcher population is low, they are not yet protected by the Endangered Species Act. So far, they look to be successfully repopulating in some of the marsh islands in the Indian River Bay. So remember-- don't pollute! Keep our bays clean so our Oystercatcher can survive! :)

--Caitlin